We Don’t Eat Our Classmates is Blake’s favorite new back to school book. Thanks to Disney Book Group for sponsoring this post! #WeDontEatOurClassmates

This week Blake started his final year of preschool. Which means that next year at this time, I’ll be walking him into kindergarten. Cue the tears of a mom thinking about her last baby growing up. The past few months have brought lots of exciting growth in Blake with regards to his speech, his understanding of feelings, and his ability to express them verbally

Now, we’re working on empathy and the concept of treating others as you’d like to be treated. Quite possibly one of the most important lessons our tiny humans can learn. And if that lesson comes packaged as a hilarious book that makes everyone’s laugh lines and nose wrinkles come out, then my work as a parent just got easier. Meet Blake’s new favorite book, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. [Read more…]

THANKS TO HUM BY VERIZON FOR SPONSORING THIS POST. OUR FAMILY IS ENJOYING #100SAFERDAYS OF SUMMER USING HUM – A CONNECTED CAR TECHNOLOGY. #HUMPARTNER

Have any big trips planned? I’ve heard that question more than a few times this summer. My answer has remained the same – that we’re having a summer of small adventures. Short drives, impromptu dinners at the beach and squeezing in as much time with family and friends is our focus.

This past weekend, Craig and I quietly celebrated a year of remission from AML. With that comes a deluge of emotions, many of them conflicting. In hindsight, I was not too terrible at dealing with the active physical fight through AML. When the choices are live or die you do whatever it is you have to do to live, right?

The physical battle was intense but relatively quick compared to those that many others face. So perhaps I had an inkling that with such an unexpected diagnosis and fast paced, intensive treatment might come a longer mental battle. And it has been. For the first time in my life, I’ve given myself the time and space to pick apart and process all of the thoughts and emotions that have come up.

As my hair grows back, as my life goes on (thank goodness) people stop asking how I’m doing because there isn’t anything physical to see. There are no tubes hanging out of my arm. However, there are plenty of emotions hanging on my heart. [Read more…]

Summer is for being carefree but not careless on the road. Thanks to Hum by Verizon for sponsoring this post. Our family is looking forward to #100SaferDays this summer using Hum – a connected car technology. #HumPartner

Summer is the season of sandy toes, extra snacks and lenient bedtimes. Most of us relax a bit in our work, our parenting and our general sense of structure. Yesterday was a testament to summer living for our family. A family sushi date on a weeknight? Ice cream after? A leisurely dip in the pool before bed? Why not!

Saving for a trip to Harry Potter World? Wondering how to save for a trip to Harry Potter World? This DIY Harry Potter bank is the perfect visual motivation to save for a visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

You’re going to need a lot of galleons to snap up all of the Honeydukes treats you’ve dreamed about. You’ll probably want some Butterbeer ice cream (yep, that’s a thing now!) and of course a Monster Book of Monsters for your Care of Magical Creatures studies. Get the tutorial for my DIY Harry Potter World savings bank below!

What’s happening at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter this summer? A lot! Thanks to our friends from Universal Studios Hollywood for hosting our family and giving us the gift of Hogwarts. #UniversalStudiosHollywood

This trip was eight months in the making but Craig and I finally took Kayla to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Okay, we actually visited most of Universal Studios Hollywood, but let’s be honest…this was about finally getting our letter to Hogwarts. If you’ve never been or it’s been a while then you should know there are some new things waiting for you.

My youngest sister joined us as the stars aligned and she found herself on a business trip to LA that week. She read the series as a teen while they were originally being released and attended those midnight parties at bookstores. To see her get to experience this with Kayla was so special! [Read more…]